


The Bucket Vase List

by Strange and Intoxicating -rsa- (strangeandintoxicating)



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Childhood Promises, Ignoct Week, M/M, but this is a sweet and soft story, these boys an be quite morbid
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-12
Updated: 2018-02-12
Packaged: 2019-03-17 07:42:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13654533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strangeandintoxicating/pseuds/Strange%20and%20Intoxicating%20-rsa-
Summary: As young children, Ignis and Noctis make a bucket list—and start scratching things off that list as soon as possible.The adventures of two boys learning of life, of death, of love, and the beauty of all the spaces in between.





	The Bucket Vase List

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on the new Episode Ignis ending, but it will take some time to get there.

"Iggy?"

"Yeah, Noct?"

"What happens when you die?"

Ignis looked away from his textbook and notes and down to the prince who was belly-down on the soft, red carpet in front of the fire. Usually he would sit quietly and play with his toys as Ignis worked on his classwork from his tutors, waiting for his friend to finish before they could leave the library and go exploring. While Noctis was quietly sitting, there were no toys on the floor. Noctis was simply sitting, running his nails over the red carpet, leaving streaks of small marks going against the grain.

Ignis closed the textbook in his lap and slid down from the couch onto the plush floor, slowly skidding his way toward Noctis.

"Why're you asking?"

Noctis rested his head against the ground, his pointer finger going around and around in lazy circles. His eyes were downcast, his mouth set into a permanent frown. "Daddy and Uncle Clarry. They was talkin' to Uncle Cor. They says daddy's gunna die, and me too..." His hand stops, falling limply at his side.

"I don't wanna die, Iggy..."

"You're not going to die, Noct," Ignis promised as he leaned down onto his elbows, putting himself at Noctis's level. "Not right now. You have to be King, right?"

Noctis gave a shrug before putting his thumb in his mouth. It was something Noctis knew wasn't good for him, and Ignis was supposed to get him to stop, but...

"Death's scary," Ignis admitted.

"Daddy says mama went to the Beyond... did your mama and daddy go, too?"

Ignis nodded his head before laying down next to Noctis, turning onto his back to look up at the ceiling. The beautiful golds and blacks traced up the walls like ivy, the gold-speckled ceiling gleaming with murals of the Gods and the Kings of Yore. "That's what my uncle told me."

"I'm sorry... I miss mama...."

Ignis felt the lump growing in his throat and the tell-tale burn to his eyes. "Me, too. It's... it's hard. But hey." Ignis nudged Noctis a little with his arm. "I've got you. You've got me. We're a family, right?"

"Yeah... but what about when I die? Are you gunna die, Iggy?"

"I think so. But not for a long time."

"I've got stuffs I wanna do..."

Ignis heard Noctis sniffle and then let out a small whimper. "Noct, don't cry. It's okay. We can... we can make a bucket list."

Noctis pushed himself up and stared down at Ignis. "Bucket list? Why we need buckets?"

"I don't know. But my uncle said it's where you put all the ideas you want to do before you die."

"I don't have any buckets."

"Me neither." Ignis frowned up at Noctis for a moment, but he saw that his friend was looking into the far-off corner of the office, blue eyes wide and peerless. "What is it?"

"How 'bout a vase?"

"That's the Shield Queen's vase!"

"And now it's _our_ bucket vase."

Ignis pushed himself back up into his elbows and Noctis scrawled up and toward the couch. He was like a cat, quick and feral, as he jumped onto it and leaped up. He grabbed a black vase no bigger than a chocobo egg from the shelf above. He made a sound very much like a whoop before bouncing down onto the couch below him. 

Ignis could hear his heart racing in his chest, but Noctis's smile was wide and proud. He looked exactly like a cat, yes. A cat who knocked over the cream just for a lick. 

"Highness! Put that back!"

"Nuh uh! It's mine!"

"It's King Regis's—"

"It's for the Lucis Caelums. I'm a Lucis Caelum. So, it's mine. Well, it's ours." Noctis's shoulders shook with excitement as he bounced up and down on the couch, the precious artifact clutched in his too small hands.

"But I'm not a Lucis Caelum." Ignis scrambled to his feet and rushed toward Noctis, who had taken to shaking the small black vase upside down. When sufficiently convinced there was nothing of value inside, Noctis lifted the lip of the vase to his eye, peering in.

Noctis frowned and twisted his head Ignis before putting the black vase down into his lap. "Well. That's for the vase list. Paper and pen!"

"Noct—"

"Paper and pen!"

Noctis put out both hands in a gesture Ignis knew well—the grabby hands move. Ignis knew that there was no winning when Noctis began such a move, and he acquiesced quickly. He grabbed the nearby notes he had been working on, flipping over one of the less-used pieces.

"Noct, you can't write."

Noctis didn't seem to care though as he traded the vase with Ignis for the pen and paper. "I'm drawing. Lemme think..." He stuck the bottom of the pen in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully for a moment before pressing the paper to his knees. "Gots it."

Ignis, caught between the desire to look at what Noctis was drawing and holding the Shield Queen's vase as still as humanly possible, stood awkwardly in place until Noctis was finished. He could feel the bead of sweat trickling down his face and knew the his hands were far too sweaty to be holding such a priceless treasure. King Regis, while seemingly liking Ignis, would likely make that far off glimmer of death much closer to reality if he dropped it.

"Noct... Noct... _Highness_...."

At the honorary title, Noctis finally looked up from his drawing and rolled his eyes. "Gimme. You write."

Grateful and filled with more than just a little trepidation, Ignis traded the vase for the paper, looking down at the stick figures. It was difficult for Ignis to ascertain who was who and what was what, but he was pretty sure the blob with squares for eyes was him, and the blob next to him was Noctis. Their little circles—hands?— were together, little bows around them.

"Wh—what should I write?"

"Letter one of the bucket vase list—you're gunna be a Lucis Caelum," Noctis said with such determination that Ignis believed him for a moment before he realized exactly what Noctis had said.

"I can't be a Lucis Caelum. And a letter isn't a number—"

"Don't care. I'mma prince. I make rules and you're gunna be a Lucis Caelum."

"King Regis makes rules—"

Noctis pouted and dropped the vase onto the black couch, making Ignis's heart leap straight into his throat. "But... daddy's not gunna make rules forever. You said I'm gunna be king. And then I gotta make rules. So my first rule's that you're gunna be a Lucis Caelum when daddy di... goes to mommy. You said we're family... aren't we?"

Ignis nodded. "You're right. Okay. Number one—"

" _Letter_ one."

"Fine. _Letter_ one. Ignis Scientia... how do you change your name?"

Noctis shrugged. "I can marry you? I guess?"

Ignis pushed up his glasses with the pen before nodding. "Yeah. I think that works. Okay. I'll write this—" He scribbled a little sentence onto the bottom of the paper. He looked up then to Noctis, whose smile was brighter than the sky on a summer day. He held up the paper, and though Noctis couldn't read what was written he nodded enthusiastically.  

Noctis took the paper and folded it over itself until it was small enough to fit into the vase. "Yes! Cool. Now... Letter two..."

Ignis and Noctis spent the rest of the day slipping small, folded pieces of paper into the vase. Ignis lost count when Noctis began repeating numbers, but it didn't matter. Each little strip of paper was a promise, and no matter how many there was always room for more.

By the time they were done all of Ignis's notes were gone and the pen was skipping across the paper, leaving only faint marks against the surface. Despite this, Ignis could see the tension lifted from Noctis's shoulders when his friend let out a laugh—one that reminded Ignis the bucket vase list or not, Ignis would always be Noctis's family.


End file.
